I was enamored of Ellen Kushner's world of Riverside and the elegant swordsman Richard St. Viers as soon as I read SWORDSPOINT. It sucked me in, and I love her mannerpunk with a true passion. When I eventually got around to it, I read the other two novels set in the same world...

11. THE FALL OF THE KINGS by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman

I should preface this mini-review by explaining that I like and know both Ellen and Delia through social SF occasions. I was looking forward to this book, and it didn't entirely disappoint my expectations. I thought it was rich and well-written, don't get me wrong. But it took me a really long time to get through it, which I'm chalking up to the pacing. There were places in the book where it seemed like the authors were so enamored of the history that they ignored the fact that the plot dictated they summarize instead of recapitulate all the events that happened. As a consequence, it moved a great deal slower than it needed to in certain parts.

Despite that, it's very much worth a read, if you're a Riverside completist like me (I'm still tracking down all the short stories). I would love to know what happens to Theron and Jessica and all the others, and I hope that Ellen and Delia (or one or the other) write a sequel to it one day. I was also sufficiently intrigued by Katherine that I went and found where THE PRIVILEGE OF THE SWORD was hiding in my to be read pile.

12. THE PRIVILEGE OF THE SWORD by Ellen Kushner

This Riverside novel I loved. I devoured it hungrily in the course of an entire night. Katherine was intriguing, the novel was sexy beyond belief, and we got to see Richard and Alec again. I loved everything about it, and I was very, very sad when it ended. That Richard was blind.... that hurt my heart, I think, but it was a book I don't regret reading at all. It's highly recommended.

13. IMADOKI, Volume 1 by Yuu Watase

I read this, very badly, in the original Japanese years ago. So when I realized that it was eventually available in English, I got it to read again. Boy, I missed a lot... It's short and sweet and pure fluff, but the main character has a pet fox (buy your own fox!), and I enjoyed it. I'll probably pick up more later.